Difference between Record and Chorus 8 speed hubs??

[camchris1]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the two hubs? I'l try and post some pics of a wheel set I picked up. I looked over on Velobase but cannot isolate the differences between the two hubs. Still need to pull the cassettes to examine the freehub body.
Thanks,
Chris

[texbike]

I'm not 100% for sure on this, but I believe the Record hubs used titanium axles and freehub while Chorus some how made do with steel.

Anyone care to confirm?

As for appearances, the front hub was definitely different between Record and Chorus. However, I could never tell the difference between the Chorus and Record rear hubs.

FYI, here is a copy of the 1991 catalog where you can zoom in for a closer look:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=109190

Cheers,

Texbike

[Jaq]

Short answer: no.

Depends on the year, but for the most part, during the mid-'90s ('98 - ~'98) there wasn't any difference except that a) a small circular plate on the non-drive side of the Record hub was polished, but burnished on the Chorus hub and b) the quick release skewer was slightly different; Chorus QRs typically had a sort of knurled circular nut, while Record QRs had a polished nut with a steel "loop". Typically what would happen is that the former year's Record QR would sorta become the current year's Chorus QR.

Otherwise, mid-'90s Chorus and Record hubs are identical; if you look at the "spare parts" PDFs available directly from the Camapagnolo website, you'll find that Chorus hubs used Record parts internally; they're functionally identical.

Toward the end of the decade, when Campy began to move to 9 speed hubs - and offered both 8-speed and 9-speed in Record, Chorus, and Athena - then you begin to see a few differences; Chorus 8-speed hubs were recycled Athena hubs with an axle of slightly different dimensions and no longer carried an oil-port. Otherwise, they still used a majority of Record parts internally.

For reference, Campy hub parts usually carry the prefix "FH-RE" and then a number, like "FH-RE110", which I think is the catalog number for one of the rear hub bearing cups or cones.

This is why everyone on ebay selling mid-'90s hubs sells them as Record Hubs (and doesn't include the skewer); they're nearly impossible to tell apart.

[camchris1]

What a great set of posts!! Thanks to you both!

[oliver1850]

Like Jaq said, there's little difference in the 1993-1995 era. As I recall there's some difference in the seal and the washers between the lock nuts in certain years. Looking at the 1995 parts catalog, all the listed part numbers are the same for Record and Chorus rear hubs. If I was looking at a set of wheels that had the D ring skewer and appeared right otherwise, I'd say they were Record and call it good. No skewer or obviously wrong and they could be either.

The titanium axle doesn't show in the parts book until 1996. As tex said, only on the Record Ti hub, but the steel axle also shows in 1996 as a Record part. So a Ti axle indicates a Record hub, but a steel axle could be Record or Chorus.

[oldpotatoe]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the two hubs? I'l try and post some pics of a wheel set I picked up. I looked over on Velobase but cannot isolate the differences between the two hubs. Still need to pull the cassettes to examine the freehub body.
Thanks,
Chris

Depends on the year. 1996 Record had a ti axle, front had cart bearings and ti axle. 1995 Record/Chorus were the same. 1994 also. Same FH body until 1997-9s, aluminum, never ti FH body.

[bikinchris]

In taking them apart over the years, I can say that Record hubs have hardened polished races and Chorus has hardened races, but they aren't polished. Record also has more seals in more places and better quality and more purpose built hardware.
As for if I could tell you the difference without have both side by side, that would be very hard. The only real giveaway like another poster said is that the Record has a traditionally had a D ring.